Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
Disciples II: Dark Prophecy is a fantasy strategy game developed by Strategy First released on January 24, 2002. This game is a sequel to the 1999 Disciples: Sacred Lands where you can play as four races The Mountain Clans, Legions of the Damned, Empire, and the Undead Hordes. In the expansion Rise of the Elves you can also play as the Elven Alliance. A sequel to this game, Disciples III: Renaissance was released on July 13, 2010 in North America, which included three races - the Empire, Legions of the Damned and the Elven Alliance. Plot In the beginning, there was nothing. The elder god Highfather had many angel servants, one of whom was his favorite - Bethrezen. The Highfather adored Bethrezen so much, the elder god granted him the power to create and left him to his own devices. Bethrezen, striving to impress the Highfather, created a new world and named it Nevendaar in the angelic tongue. Once the world was complete, Bethrezen called on other gods to help him populate Nevendaar with living things. Gallean and Soloniele created the forests and the seas and populated them, besides wildlife, with elves and merfolk, respectively. Wotan created the dwarves on the mountains, only to have them dig back into the rock. Bethrezen created the humans. More gods came and created other minor races, but the main stage has been set. Bethrezen left to tell the Highfather of his creation, leaving other angels to watch over Nevendaar. Unfortunately, the angels resented Bethrezen being the favorite of the Highfather and decided to sabotage the new world. When the Highfather arrived to look upon Nevendaar, all he saw was war and destruction. Infuriated that Bethrezen would create such a world, the Highfather cast his favorite down into the core of his own creation for all eternity. Ten thousand years have passed. Bethrezen, trapped inside the molten core of Nevendaar grew mad with anger and thirst for revenge at the Highfather and the creatures of the world. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he created a race of demons from the fiery lava of the core to be his army. Unable to escape his prison, Bethrezen sent forth his legions to destroy the humans, dwarves, elves, and all other living beings of Nevendaar. As it happens, the demons first struck in the elven lands, setting their forests ablaze. The elves panicked and fled their homes into the mountains of the Clans. The dwarves assumed the elves were invading and attacked the refugees. This prompted Gallean and Soloniele to demand that Wotan punish his children for the slaughter. Infuriated at their arrogance, Wotan killed Gallean and threw his heart into the sun. Soloniele jumped after it and managed to save it, but her own skin was burned away. Not only that, but she also changed inside. She found that she had the power to effortlessly kill entire peoples and then bring them back as her undead servants. Changing her name to Mortis, the fleshless goddess led her new undead minions on a crusade against the Mountain Clans to punish Wotan for killing her lover. Thus began the First Great War. Factions (Playable) Playable factions The Empire :Beginning ten years after the last game, the Empire is on the verge of collapse. The Emperor, Demosthene, has been getting weaker since the death of his wife and the disappearance of his son, Uther. A number of nobles, seeing this as a sure sign that the Empire is in desperate need of a 'competent' leader, have begun to build armies in order to conquer the lands for themselves. In particular, many of those nobles support the charismatic Hubert de Lalye who openly opposes Demosthene. As one of the few nobles still loyal to the Emperor, it falls to you to keep the Empire together in this time of darkness. :The Empire consists of medieval humans with Christian-like beliefs and holy powers granted by their deity, the Highfather, who sends his angels to aid the Empire. While it is Highfather who protects humanity, it was the fallen angel Bethrezen who created the race over ten thousand years ago. Titans are allied to the Empire and fight on its side. Angel Myzrael has been entrusted by Highfather to guard the Empire's capital with his mighty sword. Recommended for beginners. The Undead Hordes :Ten years have passed since Mortis took out her revenge on Wotan's children for the death of her husband, Gallean. Now Mortis waits at Gallean's side for him to recover from Wotan's assault on him, but his regeneration can take an eternity, and patience has never been one of Mortis' virtues. She once again sends forth her undead minions, this time not to avenge the death of a god, but to find a way to resurrect one. :The Undead Hordes were formerly an ancient race of magic-wielders who were slaughtered by the goddess Mortis only to be raised by her to become an undead army. Mortis's protector of the capital is Ashgan, former chief priest of the people Mortis first turned. The Mountain Clans :Ten years have passed since the death of the Dwarven Highking Sturmir Thunderhammer; ten years of relative peace for the Dwarfs. Since the end of the war against Mortis' Undead legions the Dwarfs have become more determined than ever to recover their lost Runic knowledge. Little do they know that they will soon face an enemy more dangerous than any Undead abomination... :The Mountain Clans are dwarves who live in mountain caves and possess runic powers, given to them by their god Wotan and rudimentary technology like steam engines and explosives. The Clans were allied to the Empire during the First Great War and still maintain a friendly relationship with the humans. The giants consider the dwarves to be their cousins and are willing to aid them in defending the mountains. The dwarven capital is guarded by Vithar, who sits at Wotan's right hand. The Legions of the Damned :Ten years have passed since the Demons last tried to free their god from his prison beneath the earth. Although they were stopped by the combined might of the Empire and the Mountain Clans, the demons were far from beaten. In secret covens and cults they hid, biding their time, waiting for a sign from their dark god that the time was right for them to strike back against the Empire and its allies. :The Legions of the Damned are demons created by the fallen angel Bethrezen and devil-worshiping humans who wish to release the dark god from his ten-thousand-year captivity at the core of Nevendaar - Bethrezen's own creation for which he was cast down by the Highfather. Ashkael, Bethrezen's commander of the Legions, protects the demonic capital from all those who oppose the dark god. The Legions appear to speak a dialect similar to Latin The Elven Alliance :With the return of their god, the Elves have decided that the time has come; it's time for them to take back what is rightfully theirs. Urged on by the words of their god, through the voice of a young oracle, the wild and noble Elves strive to reclaim their ancient capital from the hands of the Empire. Ironically, the city where the historical peace treaty between the two races was signed becomes the focus of bloodshed between them. :Elves (wild and noble) were the first to walk the lands of Nevendaar. They suffered greatly since the death of their god Gallean and his lover Soloniele's transformation into the fleshless goddess Mortis. There is a large amount of prejudice between the Noble Elves, who live in cities, and the Wild Elves, who prefer to live in communion with nature. The centaurs of the wild swore loyalty to the Elven Queen Illumielle who herself protects the capital city from enemies of the Alliance. : Dark Prophecy “The gates of Hell have been sealed, and the four races have staggered, bloody but victorious, to their respective homes. They are greeted by ruins, for the war has savaged the land.” The History of Nevendaar The little that is known of the terrible calamities of Nevendaar comes down to us in the writings of a poor but literate monk named Illuthen. His History and Songs, believed to be written during the period just prior to the events chronicled in Disciples II: Dark Prophecy, are the only surviving history of this period. From his words, we have been able to assemble a vivid picture of that dark age. Rise of the Elves The Birth of History The Highfather was so proud of his first angel, Bethrezen, that he bestowed to him the power of creation. Eager to prove the gift was not wasted, Bethrezen set out to construct the perfect world. He named this world Nevendaar, a sacred word in angelic tongue. When Nevendaar was young and its surface was but a blank canvas for the will of the Gods, Bethrezen urged the others to help him populate it. First, he chose the Lovers, Solonielle and Gallean. Gallean reached deep into the soil and vast trees began to stretch towards the sky. A reminder, he said, that his love for her overshadowed everything in the world. Solonielle wept, her shining tears falling towards Nevendaar in a rain that would last years; for mortal centuries are but a minute for a God. Oceans soon painted the surface of the world, but they were incomplete. Together, the Lovers seeded the world with their people. The trees cracked open and from their hollows emerged the Elves, keepers of the forests. Merfolk were born in the depths of the sea and an elaborate underwater paradise was constructed to pay tribute to their Goddess. Mighty Wotan then struck the world with his hammer, causing the ground itself to ripple into enormous mountain ranges. He introduced his honorable Dwarves to the surface of Nevendaar, but to his surprise, they began tunneling into the ground. Bethrezen, eager for children of his own, brought mankind to Nevendaar, as well as the animals to serve them. Men were fascinating to the Gods; their independence was unprecedented, their actions unpredictable. Anything they desired was given to them by their father, and the world became a true paradise. However, worried that mankind needed his guidance, Bethrezen asked his fellow Angels to watch over their progress while he set out to share his creation with the Highfather. The Birth of War The Angels were jealous. While Bethrezen was away, they visited the world of man, and put his existence into perspective. Soon greed gripped the hearts of Bethrezen’s children and man began to horde his possessions, waging war on those in the way – including the Elves. The beauty of Nevendaar was insignificant next to the horrors committed by mankind. The Highfather gazed upon Bethrezen’s world with disgust. Was this some sort of mockery? Such an atrocity could not go unpunished, and then he banished Bethrezen to the filthy core of his own world. Unable to avenge his own betrayal, the fallen god created a twisted race of demons to scour the surface of the world, bringing justice to the humans who had ruined it. Bethrezen’s hatred fueled his minions, but they waited for mankind to weaken itself. Instead, they focused their attention on the peaceful Elves. The great forests were set ablaze and Gallean’s children were forced to flee them. Their path led them into the vast mountain ranges of the Dwarves. Sensing invasion, the mighty Dwarves charged forward with weapons drawn and slaughtered hundreds. Gallean and Solonielle challenged Wotan. How could he let his Dwarves commit such senseless killing? Gallean demanded that Wotan punish his murderous “half-men” for their treachery. Offended, Wotan plunged his fist deep into the forest god’s chest, tore out his heart, and hurled it into the sun. Horrified, Solonielle braved the intense heat to retrieve her husband’s heart. Solonielle was severely burned, but she had succeeded. However, it was not enough. Gallean twisted and screamed in pain, but would not wake. The Age of Retribution Solonielle’s exposure to her suffering lover soon drove her mad. No longer was she a keeper of the Elves, she had become Mortis – the fleshless goddess. She began to slaughter whole cities and resurrect them for her undead army. Her first act was to hunt and slay the Dwarven king, for Wotan surely deserved to suffer. But this was not enough…she needed Gallean by her side. Together, they would make all of Nevendaar answer for their pain. A chance to heal him soon came in the form of a human child tainted by demonic corruption – Uther. With the retrieval of Uther’s blood, Gallean was reborn. The blood had given him back his handsome form as well as his noble spirit. He looked upon poor Mortis, his lost lover, and felt pity. She had become a beast; little remained of the soul he once loved. Gallean left Mortis. The Return of Gallean The godless Elves rejoiced at the return of their father. Overjoyed to see his children still survived, he sent them a gift – his own avatar Lachla’an. Lachla’an would spread a message of peace to unite those races in Nevendaar deemed worthy. Mortis would not allow it. She arranged Lachla’an’s death and brought him back as her own child, a twisted reflection, a Dark Elf. She used Lachla’an to taunt her husband into interfering directly with the ways of mortals, an act forbidden to the gods. His wrath manifested as a corruption of nature itself and it destroyed many people of all races. For but a moment, Gallean had felt the hatred that had corrupted his wife. Appalled at his own actions, he retreated into isolation, as did the Elves… Blades of War The special edition also included the limited edition Disciples II: Blades of War card game. These four decks consisted of 180 cards and represented each of the original four races of Nevendaar featured in Disciples II: Dark Prophecy. Category:Disciples II